WNBA star Brittney Griner pleads guilty to drug charges in Russian court
Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner's criminal trial in Russian court for alleged cannabis possession began last week. On Thursday morning, the seven-time All-Star submitted her plea on the charges.
The news comes one day after it was reported that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Cherelle Griner — Brittney Griner's wife — about efforts to bring her back to the United States. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year has been detained in Russia for four months and is accused of entering the country with vape cartridges containing hashish oil.
Griner reportedly told a judge on Thursday that she "inadvertently" brought the hashish oil into Russia, while asking the court for mercy.
"I'd like to plead guilty, your honor. But there was no intent. I didn't want to break the law," Griner told the judge in English, which was then translated into Russian for the court.
The guilty plea was, according to reports, expected.
The U.S. government declared in early May that Griner was being wrongfully detained. According to an ESPN report, "fewer than 1% of defendants in Russian criminal cases are acquitted, and unlike in the U.S., acquittals can be overturned."
More must-reads: